Women’s football has grown to great lengths over the years and continues gaining momentum through increased stadium attendance and a push for equal pay with that of their male counterparts.
At the forefront of this growth and development is USWNT, an abbreviation for the United States Women’s National Team, which can be described as the most dominant force in women’s soccer and has produced some of the best players ever to have kicked the round, leather ball of the beautiful game.
Anchored by an unprecedented record in international women’s soccer, the USWNT has won four FIFA Women’s World Cup titles, four Olympic gold medals, and nine CONCACAF Gold Cups.
In the two most prestigious international tournaments-the World Cup and the Olympics- from 1991 through 2015, the USWNT won a medal each and every time, underlining their continued dominance over the international landscape.
With that sort of history, it’s little surprise that a slew of the best women’s players have emerged from within the USWNT. But it’s not just the States that’s pumped out some quite legendary figures.
Here’s a closer look at some of the best women’s football players of all time.
1. Marta (Brazil)
Marta Vieira da Silva is often quoted as the greatest female footballer of all time. She is a six-time FIFA World Player of the Year, winning five successive awards from 2006 through to 2010.
And nobody can beat her record in international goals scored for Brazil, netting 115 goals in her career more than any male or female Brazilian player in history.
But her greatness transcends even that of South America.
She holds the record for most goals scored in any FIFA World Cup history, men’s or women’s, with 17 goals scored. Though Brazil has never won a World Cup or an Olympic gold medal in her lifetime, she was one anchor of her country’s national team that came away with silver medals from the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.
Equally, her club career with the winning of the UEFA Women’s Cup with Umeå IK in 2004, besides seven Swedish league championships across teams, is just as impressive.
2. Mia Hamm (USA)
Mia Hamm could be argued to be the most recognizable name associated with women’s football to date. She is indeed a legend whose meaning to the game surpasses the count of goals she made.
Presently, she stands third in USWNT history for appearances, first in assists, and second in goals scored with 276, 144, and 158 respectively.
She won FIFA World Player of the Year twice, in 2001 and 2002, besides leading the US to victories in two World Cups and two Olympic gold medals.
The impact she had upon the game during the 1990s and early 2000s elevated women’s soccer as a sport and made her one of the role models for young children everywhere in the world. In 2000, FIFA named her as one of the three best female footballers of the 20th century.
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3. Michelle Akers (USA)
She is widely regarded as one of the most dominant players in women’s soccer history.
The prolific striker helped the USWNT win the first-ever Women’s World Cup in 1991, before doing it all over again eight years later in 1999. Akers was also the top scorer from the ’91 tournament, netting 10 to seal the Golden Shoe.
In 2002, she was also named as the FIFA Female Player of the Century alongside Sun Wen.
Akers was something else in the pitch, and that made her a pioneer of the women’s game, not only physically robust but great as a leader on the pitch.
4. Birgit Prinz (Germany)
One of the most successful women ever to grace the women’s version of the beautiful game, Birgit Prinz of Germany won the World Cup with Germany twice and took the FIFA World Player of the Year award three times, finishing second five more times.
She also was in the limelight at the continental level too since she was a permanent fixture in UEFA Women’s Euro, won for five times-record times-whereas she also won three Olympic bronze medals.
During the 2003 World Cup, Prinz added the Golden Ball-the best player-and the Golden Boot-the top scorer.
On the domestic scene, she was on a different level, ending as the Bundesliga top scorer on four occasions, before winning a record eight times, German Player of the Year.
5. Abby Wambach (USA)
Wambach’s contribution to USWNT is simply great. She stands out as the second-highest international goal scorer of all time, netting 184 goals, next to Sinclair. Much of Wambach’s goals were powerfully headed, making her a force in the air.
Voted as the FIFA World Player of the Year in 2012, she is the first American woman to do this for a decade. Wambach also contributed her powerful headers while helping the U.S. win the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Her biography is a must-read for any young enthusiast looking for inspiration in the beautiful sport of soccer.
6. Homare Sawa (Japan)
Her name is etched in the history of women’s football as a direct contribution that led Japan to win its maiden FIFA Women’s World Cup title back in 2011.
Captain that she was, she helped her team win the tournament but not before taking home the Golden Ball as the best player and the Golden Boot as the top scorer.
Sawa had a 24-year professional career.
She was also much involved in Japan’s success in the 2012 Olympics, where they went on to win silver. She consistently kept her form over the years, with two awards of AFC Women’s Player of the Year.
Currently, she is Japan’s most-capped player, having turned out 205 times and scoring 83 times.
7. Kelly Smith (England)
During the peak of her career, Kelly Smith was considered one of England’s brightest talents and amongst the world’s finest. She managed to win a total of 15 trophies with Arsenal Ladies, five of which were Premier League titles.
Smith netted 46 goals for England, a good enough haul to make her the nation’s all-time second-leading scorer.
Her clinical finishing and ability to change games with moments of brilliance made her one of the standout players in women’s soccer.
8. Sun Wen (China)
Sun Wen is a towering figure in women’s soccer, not only within Asia but beyond. She was voted in the year 2000 as the FIFA Female Player of the Century along with Michelle Akers.
Today, Wen is still best remembered for her efforts in the 1999 Women’s World Cup for winning both the Golden Ball as the best player and Golden Boot as the top scorer.
She was highly instrumental in making the women’s game popular the length and breadth of China, her influence going way beyond the pitch.
The legacy of Sun Wen lives on, as she remains an inspiration for many young players throughout Asia and the world.
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9. Christine Sinclair (Canada)
Rarely do goal-scoring machines feature in lists to outshine the name of Christine Sinclair from Canada, an all-time leading scorer with 190 goals in total.
Her consistency and leadership have made her the spine of Canadian soccer, guiding her country to an Olympic gold, two bronzes, and a CONCACAF Cup.
Sinclair has also won a record 14 Canadian Soccer Player of the Year awards and was nominated seven times for the FIFA Women’s World Player of the Year.
Having garnered over 300 caps, Sinclair is undoubtedly a powerhouse in the game.
She’s also one of the highest-paid female footballers as of 2023
10. Kristine Lilly (USA)
Kristine is an icon in women’s soccer. Having made 354 international appearances, she holds the record for most caps by any player in soccer history, men’s or women’s.
She spent 23 years in the USWNT, scoring 130 goals while helping the U.S. to win two World Cups and two Olympic gold medals.
For her incredible longevity and what she brought to the USWNT in terms of success, she really is one of the best to ever lace up a cleat.
Other Greatest Women’s Soccer Players In History
- Megan Rapinoe
- Formiga
- Nadine Angerer
